Bottle carrier



Nov. '14, 1967 Filed July 6, 1965 E. J. GRASER BOTTLE CARRIER 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR. EARL J GRASER ATTORNEY Nov. 14, v1967 E. J. GRASER 3,352,452

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed July 6, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. EARL J GRASER ATTORNEY Nov. 14, 19 7 E GRA E 3,352,452

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed July 6, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG-4 INVENTOR. EARL J GRA SE1? ATTORNEY Nov.- 14, 1967 E. J. GRASER 3,352,452

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed July 6, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. EARL J GRASE/P BY fdm A TTORNE V Nov. 14, 1967 Filed July 6, 1 965 e Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR. EARL J GRASER FIG-7 Pam AT TORNEV E. J. GRASER v 3,352,452-

BOTTLE CARRIER E. J. GRASER BOTTLE CARRIER Nov. 14, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 6, 1965 FIG-8 INVENTOR. EARL J GRASER A TTO/PNE V 3,352,452 BOTTLE CARRIER Earl J. Graser, Monroe, La., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Olinkraft, Inc., West Monroe, La., :1 corporation of Delaware Filed July 6, 1965, Ser. No. 469,597 2 Claims. (Cl. 220111) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A basket-style bottle carrier fabricated from a single blank of board material having, in the erect condition, overlapping end walls, said blank being susceptible of gluing while the blank is moving in a straight-line path.

The present invention relates to an article carrier and, in particular, to a basket-style article carrier fabricated from a single blank of packaging material.

A particular feature of the present invention is the pro vision of a basket-style article carrier of the above class which, in the course of fabrication, is susceptible of straight-line gluing.

The language, straight-line gluing, is intended to denote a folding and gluing operation, which is conducted while the blank is moving along a straight-line path.

An additional feature of the present invention is the provision of an article carrier blank which, in the course of the fabrication, requires a minimum number of operations.

It is a further feature of the invention to provide an article carrier having an end wall structure which, in the erect condtion, is detachably connected to a longitudinal partition structure.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a basket-style article carrier having a novel end wall structure.

A basket-style article carrier fabricated from a single blank of packaging material which is susceptible of straight-line gluing, embracing certain principles of the present invention, may comprise a pair of side panels, a pair of hinged handle panels, one edge of each side panel being hinged to a mating handle panel, a pair of bottom panels, a second edge of each side panel being hinged to a bottom panel, a longitudinal partition joined to both bottom panels and fixed to the handle panels and means for detachably securing the end panels to the longitudinal partition.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with an examination of the succeeding specification, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article carrier blank, embracing the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows the blank of FIG. 1 after two folding steps.

FIG. 3 shows the blank following the third and final folding step representing the collapsed condition.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 3 in the erect condition.

FIG. 4A shows the blank of FIG. 3 partially erected.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a blank illustrating a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a representation of the blank of FIG. 5 after gluing and after two folding steps.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the completed blank of FIG. 5 in the collapsed condition.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the carrier of FIG. 7 in the erect condition.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular, to FIGS. 1 through 4, a one piece blank, indicated generally United States Patent 0 3,352,452 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 by the reference numeral 10, includes side wall panels 11 and 12.

The left edge of panel 11 is hinged to bottom panel 13 at score line 14. The right edge of panel 11 is hinged to handle panel 16 by score line 15.

Correspondingly, side Wall panel 12 is hinged at its right edge to bottom panel 18 at score line 19 and at its left edge to handle panel 17 by score line 20. Panels 21 and 22, hinged to panels 13 and 18 at score lines 23 and 24, respectively, define a longitudinal partition, as will become more apparent hereinafter.

The reference numerals 26, 27, 28 and 29 in panels 21 and 22 define lower locking tabs.

Handle panel 16 is hinged to a mating handle panel 17 by score line 31. Each handle panel 16 and 17 includes a finger access opening 32 and 33, including opening tabs 34 and 36 hinged to their respective panels by score lines 37 and 38.

Anchor tabs 39, 41, 42 and 43 are partially cut from the panels 16 and 17 as indicated by the solid line labelled 44. The line 44 is interrupted by a number of necks or bridges 4646, defining uncut material, to render the anchor tabs 39, 41, 42 and 43 releasable from side panels 11 and 12 and handle panels 16 and 17 during fabrication of the carrier, as will become more apparent as the specification proceeds.

Partition tabs 47, 48, 45 and 51, hinged to their respective handle panels 16 and 17 by score lines 52, 53, 54 and 56 and hinged to side wall panels 11 and 12 by score lines 15 and 20 define transverse partition elements.

End walls indicated, generally by the reference numeral 57 in FIG. 4, comprise end wall panels 58, 59, 61 and 62, hinged to their respective side wall panels 11 and 12 by score lines referenced 63.

End wall panels 61 and 62 are formed with a cut out portion, defining locking flaps 64 and 66, hinged to their respective end Wall panels by score line 67.

End wall panels 58 and 59 are formed with an elongated opening indicated by the reference numeral 68.

The hatching shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 represents gluing areas in customary fashion.

The reference numerals 71 through 74 in the handle panels 16 and 17 define upper locking tabs as an optional feature.

The blank of FIG. 1 may be modified in the region of the handle panels 16 and 17 by shaping these panels in accordance with the dotted skew lines referenced 69. If this modification is adopted, obviously, the upper locking tabs 71 through 74 are eliminated.

The blank of FIG. 1 is fabricated in the following fashion:

First, glue is applied in accordance with the hatching pattern indicated in FIG. 1; thereafter, bottom panel 13, including its longitudinal partition panel 21, is rotated about score line 14 to the position shown in FIG. 2.

Bottom panel 18, including its adjacent longitudinal partition panel 22, is rotated about score line 19 to the position shown in FIG. 2.

Glue is applied to the longitudinal partition panel 21 in accordance with the hatching shown in FIG. 2.

Next, the left side of the blank of FIG. 2 is rotated about score line 31 into face-to-face contact with the right side of the blank to develop the finished blank represented in collapsed condition in FIG. 3.

Note that looking flaps 64 and 66 register with glue spots 60 and 65 so that upon conversion of the collapsed blank of FIG. 3 to the erect blank of FIG. 4, flaps 64 and 66 are rotated through degrees. For example, flap 64 is rotated out of the plane of end panel 61 and assumes a position overlaying the interior surface of panel 59, as is apparent in the cut out of FIG. 4.

For further convenience in showing the conversion of collapsed blank of FIG. 3 to the erect blank of FIG. 4, attention is directed to FIG. 4A, which shows the relative disposition of end wall panels and bottom panels during the transition from the collapsed blank of FIG. 3 to the erect blank of FIG. 4.

To retain the carton in the erect position the overlapping end wall panels, such as the panels 58 and 62 of FIG. 4, are snapped over mating lower locking tabs 27 and 28.

If the upper locking tabs are utilized, the upper ends of panels 58 and 62 are snapped under upper locking tabs 73 and 74.

Alternatively, locking tabs 73 and 74 may also be inverted as shown in FIG. 4 so that they engage and hook around the upper edge of the opening in panel 62.

In the erect condition, handle panels 16 and 17 are glued in face-to-face relationship and are also fixed to the longitudinal partition defined by panels 21 and 22. The panels 21 and 22 are glued together and panel 21 is glued to anchor tabs 39-41 on one side and anchor tabs 42 and 43 on the other.

Stated otherwise, the terminal edge of panel 21 (the end containing the glue) is sandwiched between the anchor tabs 39 and 41, one one side and anchor tabs 42 and 43 on the other.

During the course of top loading the erect blank of FIG. 4, transverse partition elements 45, 47, 48 and 51 are cammed downwardly about their respective score lines by the articles being loaded.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 through 7, a modification of the blank of FIG. 1 is illustrated.

The primary dilference being that bottom panel 13 is shown hinged at score line 230 to an elongated longitudinal partition panel 210.

Compare panel 21 of FIG. 1 to panel 210 of FIG. 5.

By elongating the longitudinal partition panel to the size shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to extend the partition structure vertically (observe the carton in the erect position) to a point just below the finger access opening the handle panel.

For example, FIG. 6 shows the blank of FIG. partly fabricated wherein bottom panel 13 and its adjacent partition panel 210 have been rotated about score line 230 so that panel 210 terminates just short of finger access opening 330.

Thus, when the blank of FIG. 5 is further fabricated to the condition of FIGS. 7 and 8, it is apparent that the longitudinal partition afforded by panel 210 completely separates the articles on one side of the handle panel blank from those on the other side.

It is anticipated that a wide variety of modifications and design changes may be devised in the present invention without departing from its spirit and scope.

What is claimed is:

1. A basket-style article carrier fabricated from a single blank of packaging material which is susceptible of straightline gluing and operative in the erect condition to receive a plurality of articles comprising opposed side walls joined to opposed end walls, a centrally disposed handle member, a bottom wall, a longitudinal partition hinged to the bottom wall and fixed to said handle member, each said end wall defining a pair of overlapping panels connected by a locking flap, and lock means for detachably connecting said opposed end walls to the handle member when the carton is in the erect condition.

2. A basket-style article carrier fabricated from a single blank of packaging material which is susceptible of straight-line gluing and operative in the erect condition to receive a plurality of articles comprising opposed side walls joined to opposed end walls, a centrally disposed handle member, a bottom wall, a longitudinal partition hinged to the bottom wall and fixed to said handle member and lock means for detachably connecting said opposed end walls to the handle member when the carton is in the erect condition, said end walls each defining a pair of overlapping panels fixed together and hinged by a flap cut on of one panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,354,528 7/1944 Lowey et al 229-28 X 2,371,312 3/1945 Potter 229-28 X 2,446,161 7/1948 Price 22011l 2,570,133, 10/1951 Kowal 220-114 X 3,152,719 10/1964 Woodling 22O-l ll JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. DONALD F. NORTON, Examiner, 

1. A BASKET-STYLE ARTICLE CARRIER FABRICATED FROM A SINGLE BLANK OF PACKAGING MATERIAL WHICH IS SUSCEPTIBLE OF STRAIGHTLINE GLUING AND OPERATIVE IN THE ERECT CONDITION TO RECEIVE A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES COMPRISING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS JOINED TO OPPPOSED END WALLS, A CENTRALLY DISPOSED HANDLE MEMBER, A BOTTOM WALL, A LONGITUDINAL PARTITION HINGED TO THE BOTTOM WALL AND FIXED TO SAID HANDLE MEMBER, EACH SAID END WALL DEFINING A PAIR OF OVERLAPPING PANELS CONNECTED BY A LOCKING FLAP, AND LOCK MEANS FOR DETACHABLY CONNECTING SAID OPPOSED END WALLS TO THE HANDLE MEMBER WHEN THE CARTON IS IN THE ERECT CONDITION. 